the cratchits

• Keywords:

  • Self-effacing (modest), beneficent (generous), benevolent, compassionate, silenced, microcosm of the poor.
• Bob's short exchange of dialogue in Stave 1 represents how lower classes were silenced and oppressed by the upper classes.

  • "If quite convenient, sir"
• Bob is referred to as "clerk" in Stave 1.

  • His lack of a name highlights how the poor were stripped of their individual identities, consequently causing them all to be seen as one by the upper classes.

  The upper class does not see them as individual humans, but rather as a group of lazy people who don't contribute enough to the economy (Malthusian views).
• In Stave 4, pathos (evokes pity and sadness) and compassion is evoked for Bob when Tiny Tim dies:

  • "My little, little child!" cried Bob. "My little child!"
• Dickens uses Tiny Tim's death, an angelic representation of innocent children, to emphasise Bob's virtuous and compassionate nature.

  • He makes the reader see the unjust punishments the poor face because of societal misconceptions.
• "My little, little child!" cried Bob. "My little child!"

  • The repeated adjective "little" connotes fragility and innocence, reinforcing that innocent and fragile children are frequently victims of the belligerent (hostile and aggressive) cycle of poverty.

  Without social change, the unjust issues of poverty will continue.
• Dickens provides a solution to breaking the unrelenting cycle of poverty.

  • He shows this through the development of a collective social conscience, as developed by Scrooge when he becomes a "second father" to Tiny Tim.

  Society can unite and alleviate (make suffering less severe) this neglection and suffering of the poor.
• Bob and Tim are emblems of the neglected poor - both display nothing but virtuous (having high moral standards) characteristics yet endlessly suffer.

  • This juxtaposes Scrooge who undergoes no suffering yet is the epitome of a Victorian miser.

  Dickens social commentary is critical of this hypocritical treatment of the class.

  • The treatment of an individual should be based on their character, not their financial status.
• Dickens makes poverty synonymous with gratitude through the Cratchits, Mrs. Cratchit is "dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown, but brave in ribbons".
• Mrs. Cratchit is "dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown, but brave in ribbons".

  • The alliteration of "twice turned gown" emphasises their poverty; Mrs. Cratchit is not able to afford new clothes, however, as it is a "gown" that suggests she is admirably able to make the best out of the little she has.
• Mrs. Cratchit is "dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown, but brave in ribbons".

  • The festivity of "ribbons" being all over her dress highlights how the foundations of the Cratchits, alike to the "twice-turned gown", may be impoverished (made poor).

  However, they celebrate and glorify the little they have, symbolised by the ribbons, as they display gratitude and love for one another.
• The immense gratitude of the Cratchits is highlighted through the colloquial phrase;

  • "Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose was the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon"
• "Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose was the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon"

  • "bustle" creates an image of elation (great happiness) and commotion, emphasising how the Cratchits are overjoyed with how blessed they are enough to eat this "feathered phenomenon".
• "You might have thought a goose was the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon"

  • The superlative "rarest" serves as irony as within the Victorian period, as it was a cheap replacement for turkey.

  This compounds as they celebrate the small amount they share together - the anthesis to Scrooge who is ungrateful for the abundance of wealth he has.
• The ultimate sign of Bob's gratitude is still praising and cherishing Scrooge.

  • His minuscule wage from Scrooge allows him to put what he believes is a "great success" of a spread on the table:

  "I'll give you Mr.Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"
• "I'll give you Mr.Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"

  • "Founder" connotates creator, alluding to how Bob sees Scrooge in a God like way as he believes Scrooge is the creator of Bob's ability to have what he sees as luxuries.
• "I'll give you Mr.Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"

  • This highlights how the poor are blindly grateful to the same individuals who exploit them - this being a key indictment of Dicken's in his political diatribe as Dickens exposes that it is the rich who propagate poverty by preserving their own wealth.
• Bob, and the Cratchits', are the epitome of moralistic and virtuous members of society.

  • They provide the reader with a model example of morality and show that an abundant lifestyle does not come from materialism but from unity and benevolence.
• The innocence of children was a typical trope within Dickens' work.

  • This was aligned with the focus on the angelic portrayal of children in Victorian literature.

  This juxtaposed the portrayal prior to the Victorian era where children were seen as sinners due to not finding God yet.
• Critic Laura C. Berry says typically in Victorian society, children were represented as innocent and then became victims of society.

  • Tiny Tim highlights this victimisation as he is a victim of poverty.

  Although his health conditions are not because he is poor, it raises the question of-would his death of been so imminent if he had access to healthcare like the rich?
• Dickens highlights how child neglection is a by-product of having Malthusian views.

  • When Scrooge demands to "decrease the surplus population", the actuality of these demands means that the "surplus population" may be decreased at the expense of an innocent life.

  Dickens constructs Tiny Tim to die tragically to show the consequences of holding this ignorant mindset - ignorance enables innocent suffering.
• Tiny Tim's vulnerable depiction is exacerbated through the fragile image of "But he was very light to carry".